Systems and methods for facilitating transferring of conference calls using mobile communication devices

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for facilitating transferring of a conference call. In some embodiments, users of a secure mobile device may be provided with the ability to transfer a media session for use in a conference call to a non-secure communication device. The method may include displaying a user interface on the primary communication device, the user interface including a transfer option, receiving a command selecting the transfer option, sending a transfer request from the primary communication device to the conference call controller to link an alternate communication device within the conference call session, and determining whether the transfer request requires authentication, and if so performing authentication of the transfer request.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to conference calling, andmore specifically to a system and method for facilitating the transferof a conference call.

BACKGROUND

Most applications for use with mobile devices have been designed to bestand-alone applications, with a centralized email server providinge-mail, a telephony system providing voice services, an instantmessenger service allowing short, informal chats, etc. However, it hasbeen recognized that these services or tools may be enhanced and mayimprove efficiency if greater interaction between such services wasfacilitated.

Consider a situation in which clicking on an e-mail while at homeautomatically initiated a call from the user's enterprise PBX (PrivateBranch Exchange) to the e-mail sender, or launched an IM (InstantMessaging) session from a problem tracking system to allow informalcommunications between a support engineer and the customer. Thisinter-working has become known as “unified communications”.

One way is to implement a unified communications system within anenterprise. Proprietary protocols may be introduced, “glue” applicationsmay be written to tie together the administration API (ApplicationProgramming Interface) published by one company with an equivalent APIfrom another. However, such solutions require substantial effort tointroduce inter-operability with services.

One difficulty arises when it is desirous to communicate to a deviceexternal to the enterprise. The external device may not receive the samebenefits of security and control as those devices within or consideredto exist as part of the enterprise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of embodiments described herein, and to showmore clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now bemade, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of a network illustrating theimplementation of SIP in a telephony application;

FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of a mobile device in one exampleimplementation;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a communication subsystem component ofthe mobile device of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a node of a wireless network;

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating components of a communicationsystem in one example configuration;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating steps in a method of facilitatinga conference call between a plurality of communication devices inaccordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 6A shows a schematic diagram illustrating components of aconference call in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 6B shows another schematic diagram illustrating components of aconference call in accordance with at least one embodiment, upontransfer of a media session from a first primary communication device toa first alternate communication device;

FIG. 7A shows an example user interface as displayed on a mobilecommunication device for performing conference call control; and

FIG. 7B shows the user interface of FIG. 7A for effecting transferringof a conference call.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments described herein make use of a mobile station. A mobilestation is a two-way communication device with advanced datacommunication capabilities having the capability to communicate withother computer systems, and is also referred to herein generally as amobile device. A mobile device may also include the capability for voicecommunications. Depending on the functionality provided by a mobiledevice, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-waypager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wirelessInternet appliance, or a data communication device (with or withouttelephony capabilities). A mobile device communicates with other devicesthrough a network of transceiver stations.

Difficulties in implementing a unified communications system within anenterprise have been recognized and a protocol has been created thatallows the establishment, control and release of sessions between usersand servers in a generic and extensible fashion. The Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) has been designed and further enhanced through the IETF(Internet Engineering Task Force). The applicants have recognized thatSIP provides a flexible environment that can be leveraged to bringunified communications to mobile devices.

SIP is an application-layer control (signalling) protocol for creating,modifying and terminating sessions with one or more participants. Thesesessions include Internet multimedia conferences, Internet telephonecalls and multimedia distribution. Members in a session can communicatevia multicast or via a mesh of unicast relations, or a combination ofthese.

SIP as defined in RFC 2543 and superseded by RFC 3261 is the IETF'sstandard for multimedia session management. SIP is an ASCII-based,application-layer control protocol that supports user mobility. It isused to establish, maintain, modify and terminate multimedia sessionsbetween two or more end points. It is important to note that SIPprovides the control plane for these sessions; the data plane part ofthe session uses RTP as the transport protocol. There is no requirementthat the data plane and control plane follow the same path through theIP domain.

The SIP protocol allows, among other things:

-   -   (a) The determination of the location of the target end point.        This is achieved by services such as address resolution, name        mapping and call redirection;    -   (b) The determination of target end point availability. This not        only provides an indication of whether the end point is        available, but also if a call cannot be completed because the        target end point is unavailable, SIP signalling is used to        determine whether the called party is already on the phone or        did not answer in the allotted number of rings;    -   (c) The determination of the media capabilities of the target        end point. By using the Session Description Protocol (SDP), SIP        can determine what common services exist between the end points.        Thus sessions are established using only the media capabilities        that can be supported by all end points;    -   (d) The establishment of a session between the originating and        target end point;    -   (e) The management of the session. This includes the addition of        new end points, the transfer of the session between end points,        and the modification of the session such as change of codec or        the addition of another data stream; and,    -   (f) The termination of sessions.

To aid the reader in understanding the implementation of SIP in atelephony application, reference is made to FIG. 1A. An example of anetwork, shown generally as 10, implementing a call from a VoIP phone isshown in FIG. 1A. Illustrated therein is a call originating from amobile device 100, discussed in greater detail below, which in thisinstance is fulfilling the role of User Agent Client (UAC). The callestablishment signalling goes via a Back-to-Back User Agent (B2BUA) 12and through a number of User Agent Servers (UAS) such as proxy andredirect servers 14 and/or a registrar server 14 a to the PBX 16 (andultimately to the receiving phone 18) using the SIP signalling. Once thecontrol path is established and the call allowed, the voice media streamis sent via RTP to the PBX 16 directly.

FIG. 1A illustrates several different User Agent (UA) roles:

-   -   (a) User Agent Client (UAC)—a client application that initiates        the SIP request. Typical clients are soft-phones (PCs that have        phone applications) and VoIP-based phones such as the        BLACKBERRY™ 7270, manufactured by Research In Motion. However,        any initiator of a SIP call is a UAC, including network elements        such as the B2BUA. Gateways to non-SIP-based systems can also        act as UACs. A gateway may, for example, map a VoIP-based call        onto a traditional circuit-switched PBX;    -   (b) User Agent Server (UAS)—a server application that contacts        the registered user when a SIP request is received and returns a        response on behalf of the user. A server may be a proxy, which        receives SIP messages and forwards them to the next SIP server        in the network. Proxy servers can provide functions such as        authentication, authorization, network access control, routing,        reliable request retransmission, and security. Alternatively a        SIP server may act as a redirector, which provides the client        with information about the next hop or hops that a message        should take and then the client contacts the next hop server or        UAS directly. A server also may act as a registrar server, which        processes requests from UACs for registration of their current        location; and    -   (c) Back-to-Back User Agent (B2BUA)—a pair of user agents, one a        server and the other a client, that terminates a SIP session on        one side and maps SIP requests to a secondary and distinct SIP        session on the other side. A B2BUA provides a way to insert        custom control into a SIP session between two end points. A        B2BUA can act as a gateway into an enterprise domain where        security needs require that all SIP sessions are controlled by a        local server.

During any one SIP session, a UA will function either as a UAC or a UASbut not as both simultaneously. SIP provides a means to establish,control and terminate one or more multimedia sessions. However, SIPitself is not an application but a platform on which applications can bebuilt. An application built utilizing the SIP protocol may providesimple voice calling functionality in a low featured softphone, or largeand complex functionality such as for an eLearning application thatwould involve the transmission of voice, video and slides to amulti-participant conference.

Some embodiments described herein are generally directed to systems andmethods that provide users of a communication device facility intransferring a conference call. In particular embodiments, users of asecure mobile device may be provided with the ability to transfer amedia stream for use in a conference call to a non-secure communicationdevice.

To aid the reader in understanding the structure of a mobile device andhow it communicates with other devices, reference is made to FIGS. 1Bthrough 3.

Referring first to FIG. 1B, a block diagram of a mobile device in oneexample implementation is shown generally as 100. Mobile device 100comprises a number of components, the controlling component beingmicroprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 controls the overall operation ofmobile device 100. Communication functions, including data and voicecommunications, are performed through communication subsystem 104.Communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages toa wireless network 200. In this example implementation of mobile device100, communication subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with theGlobal System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet RadioServices (GPRS) standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is usedworldwide and it is expected that these standards will be supersededeventually by Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal MobileTelecommunications Service (UMTS). New standards are still beingdefined, but it is believed that they will have similarities to thenetwork behaviour described herein, and it will also be understood bypersons skilled in the art that embodiments described herein areintended to be used by any other suitable standards related to wirelesscommunication that are developed in the future. The wireless sessionconnecting communication subsystem 104 with network 200 represents oneor more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according todefined protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newernetwork protocols, these channels are capable of supporting bothcircuit-switched voice communications and packet-switched datacommunications.

Although the wireless network associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation of mobile device100, other wireless networks may also be associated with mobile device100 in variant implementations. Different types of wireless networksthat may be employed include, for example, data-centric wirelessnetworks, voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks thatcan support both voice and data communications over the same physicalbase stations. Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limitedto, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRSnetworks (as mentioned above), and third-generation (3G) networks likeEDGE and UMTS. Some older examples of data-centric networks include theMobitex™ Radio Network and the DataTAC™ Radio Network. Examples of oldervoice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems (PCS)networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems.

Microprocessor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such as aRandom Access Memory (RAM) 106, flash memory 108, display 110, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 112, serial port 114, keyboard 116, speaker118, microphone 120, short/long-range communications 122 and otherdevice subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, display 110 andkeyboard 116 may be used for both communication-related functions, suchas entering a text message for transmission over network 200, anddevice-resident functions such as a calculator or task list. Operatingsystem software used by microprocessor 102 is typically stored in apersistent store such as flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specificdevice applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as RAM 106.

Mobile device 100 may send and receive communication signals overnetwork 200 after required network registration or activation procedureshave been completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a mobile device 100. To identify a subscriber, mobile device 100requires a Subscriber Identity Module or “SIM” card 126 to be insertedin a SIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network. SIM 126is one type of a conventional “smart card” used to identify a subscriberof mobile device 100 and to personalize the mobile device 100, amongother things. Alternatively, by way of example only, other types of“smart cards” which might be used may include an R-UIM (removable useridentity module) or a CSIM (CDMA (code division multiple access)subscriber identity module) or a USIM (universal subscriber identitymodule) card. Without SIM 126, mobile device 100 is not fullyoperational for communication with network 200. By inserting SIM 126into SIM interface 128, a subscriber can access all subscribed services.Services could include: web browsing and messaging such as e-mail, voicemail, Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Messaging Services(MMS). More advanced services may include: point of sale, field serviceand sales force automation. SIM 126 includes a processor and memory forstoring information. Once SIM 126 is inserted in SIM interface 128, itis coupled to microprocessor 102. In order to identify the subscriber,SIM 126 contains some user parameters such as an International MobileSubscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage of using SIM 126 is that asubscriber is not necessarily bound by any single physical mobiledevice. SIM 126 may store additional subscriber information for a mobiledevice as well, including datebook (or calendar) information and recentcall information.

Mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130.Battery interface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), whichassists battery 130 in providing power V+ to mobile device 100. Althoughcurrent technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such asmicro fuel cells may provide the power to mobile device 100.

Microprocessor 102, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications on mobile device 100. A setof applications that control basic device operations, including data andvoice communication applications, will normally be installed on mobiledevice 100 during its manufacture. Another application that may beloaded onto mobile device 100 would be a personal information manager(PIM). A PIM has functionality to organize and manage data items ofinterest to a subscriber, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, calendarevents, voice mails, appointments, and task items. A PIM application hasthe ability to send and receive data items via wireless network 200. PIMdata items may be seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated viawireless network 200 with the mobile device subscriber's correspondingdata items stored and/or associated with a host computer system. Thisfunctionality creates a mirrored host computer on mobile device 100 withrespect to such items. This can be particularly advantageous where thehost computer system is the mobile device subscriber's office and/or ahome computer system.

Additional applications may also be loaded onto mobile device 100through network 200, auxiliary I/O subsystem 112, serial port 114,short/long-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitablesubsystem 124. This flexibility in application installation increasesthe functionality of mobile device 100 and may provide enhancedon-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. Forexample, secure communication applications may enable electroniccommerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performedusing mobile device 100.

Serial port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofmobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloads tomobile device 100 other than through a wireless communication network.The alternate download path may, for example, be used to load anencryption key onto mobile device 100 through a direct and thus reliableand trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

Short/long-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, without theuse of network 200. For example, subsystem 122 may include an infrareddevice and associated circuits and components for short-rangecommunication. Examples of short/long-range communication would includestandards developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth,and the 802.11/802.16 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, orweb page download will be processed by communication subsystem 104 andinput to microprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 will then process thereceived signal for output to display 110 or alternatively to auxiliaryI/O subsystem 112. A subscriber may also compose data items, such ase-mail messages, for example, using keyboard 116 in conjunction withdisplay 110 and possibly auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. Auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112 may include user input devices such as: a touch screen,mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel withdynamic button-pressing capability. Keyboard 116 is an alphanumerickeyboard and/or telephone-type keypad. A composed item may betransmitted over network 200 through communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of mobile device 100 issubstantially similar, except that the received signals would be outputto speaker 118, and signals for transmission would be generated bymicrophone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through speaker 118, display 110 may also be used to provideadditional information such as the identity of a calling party, durationof a voice call, or other voice call-related information.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of the communication subsystemcomponent 104 of FIG. 1 is shown. Communication subsystem 104 comprisesa receiver 150, a transmitter 152, one or more embedded or internalantenna elements 154, 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processingmodule such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 160.

The particular design of communication subsystem 104 is dependent uponthe network 200 in which mobile device 100 is intended to operate, thusit should be understood that the design illustrated in FIG. 2 servesonly as one example. Signals received by antenna 154 through network 200are input to receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in DSP 160.In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, includingmodulation and encoding, by DSP 160. These DSP-processed signals areinput to transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission overnetwork 200 via antenna 156. DSP 160 not only processes communicationsignals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control. Forexample, the gains applied to communication signals in receiver 150 andtransmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in DSP 160.

The wireless link between mobile device 100 and a network 200 maycontain one or more different channels, typically different RF channels,and associated protocols used between mobile device 100 and network 200.An RF channel is a limited resource that must be conserved, typicallydue to limits in overall bandwidth and limited battery power of mobiledevice 100.

When mobile device 100 is fully operational, transmitter 152 istypically keyed or turned on only when it is sending to network 200 andis otherwise turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, receiver 150is periodically turned off to conserve power until it is needed toreceive signals or information (if at all) during designated timeperiods.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a node of a wireless networkis shown as 202. In practice, network 200 comprises one or more nodes202. Mobile device 100 communicates with a node 202 within wirelessnetwork 200. In the example implementation of FIG. 3, node 202 isconfigured in accordance with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) andGlobal Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies. Node 202 includes a basestation controller (BSC) 204 with an associated tower station 206, aPacket Control Unit (PCU) 208 added for GPRS support in GSM, a MobileSwitching Center (MSC) 210, a Home Location Register (HLR) 212, aVisitor Location Registry (VLR) 214, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)216, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 218, and a Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (DHCP) 220. This list of components is not meantto be an exhaustive list of the components of every node 202 within aGSM/GPRS network, but rather a list of components that are commonly usedin communications through network 200.

In a GSM network, MSC 210 is coupled to BSC 204 and to a landlinenetwork, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 222 tosatisfy circuit-switched requirements. The connection through PCU 208,SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 to the public or private network (Internet) 224(also referred to herein generally as a shared network infrastructure)represents the data path for GPRS-capable mobile devices. In a GSMnetwork extended with GPRS capabilities, BSC 204 also contains a PacketControl Unit (PCU) 208 that connects to SGSN 216 to controlsegmentation, radio channel allocation and to satisfy packet-switchedrequirements. To track mobile device location and availability for bothcircuit-switched and packet-switched management, HLR 212 is sharedbetween MSC 210 and SGSN 216. Access to VLR 214 is controlled by MSC210.

Station 206 is a fixed transceiver station. Station 206 and BSC 204together form the fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiverequipment provides wireless network coverage for a particular coveragearea commonly referred to as a “cell”. The fixed transceiver equipmenttransmits communication signals to and receives communication signalsfrom mobile devices within its cell via station 206. The fixedtransceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation andpossibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to themobile device in accordance with particular, usually predetermined,communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller.The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possiblydecodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals receivedfrom mobile device 100 within its cell. Communication protocols andparameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node mayemploy a different modulation scheme and operate at differentfrequencies than other nodes.

For all mobile devices 100 registered with a specific network, permanentconfiguration data such as a user profile is stored in HLR 212. HLR 212also contains location information for each registered mobile device andcan be queried to determine the current location of a mobile device. MSC210 is responsible for a group of location areas and stores the data ofthe mobile devices currently in its area of responsibility in VLR 214.Further VLR 214 also contains information on mobile devices that arevisiting other networks. The information in VLR 214 includes part of thepermanent mobile device data transmitted from HLR 212 to VLR 214 forfaster access. By moving additional information from a remote HLR 212node to VLR 214, the amount of traffic between these nodes can bereduced so that voice and data services can be provided with fasterresponse times and at the same time requiring less use of computingresources.

SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 are elements added for GPRS support; namely,packet-switched data support, within GSM. SGSN 216 and MSC 210 havesimilar responsibilities within wireless network 200 by keeping track ofthe location of each mobile device 100. SGSN 216 also performs securityfunctions and access control for data traffic on network 200. GGSN 218provides internetworking connections with external packet-switchednetworks and connects to one or more SGSN's 216 via an Internet Protocol(IP) backbone network operated within the network 200. During normaloperations, a given mobile device 100 must perform a “GPRS Attach” toacquire an IP address and to access data services. This requirement isnot present in circuit-switched voice channels as Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN) addresses are used for routing incoming andoutgoing calls. Currently, all GPRS-capable networks use private,dynamically assigned IP addresses, thus requiring a DHCP server 220connected to the GGSN 218. There are many mechanisms for dynamic IPassignment, including using a combination of a Remote AuthenticationDial-In User Service (RADIUS) server and DHCP server. Once the GPRSAttach is complete, a logical connection is established from a mobiledevice 100, through PCU 208, and SGSN 216 to an Access Point Node (APN)within GGSN 218. The APN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel thatcan either access direct Internet compatible services or private networkconnections. The APN also represents a security mechanism for network200, insofar as each mobile device 100 must be assigned to one or moreAPNs and mobile devices 100 cannot exchange data without firstperforming a GPRS Attach to an APN that it has been authorized to use.The APN may be considered to be similar to an Internet domain name suchas “myconnection.wireless.com”.

Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a tunnel is created and all traffic isexchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol that can besupported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such as IP overIP as in the case with some IPSecurity (IPsec) connections used withVirtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred to asPacket Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number ofthese available in the network 200. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts,network 200 will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determine ifthere is a lack of activity. When a mobile device 100 is not using itsPDP Context, the PDP Context can be deallocated and the IP addressreturned to the IP address pool managed by DHCP server 220.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram is shown illustratingcomponents of a communication system, shown generally as 400, in oneexample configuration. Host system 400 will typically incorporate acorporate office or other local area network (LAN) shown generally as410, but may instead be a home office computer or some other privatesystem, for example, in variant implementations. In the example shown inFIG. 4, communication system 400 incorporates a LAN 410 of anorganization to which a user of a mobile device 100 (with exampleembodiments illustrated as 100A, 100B, 100C) belongs.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, some embodiments of the mobile device 100Aoperate on a cellular network 402 (WAN, “wide area network”), whileother embodiments 100C may operate on the 802.11/802.16 WiFi/WiMaxnetwork 404 only (WLAN, “wireless local area network”). Such devices100C which operate only on a WLAN 404, may be provided with SIP-basedVoice over IP (VoIP) functionality to facilitate external calling. Someembodiments of the mobile device 100B may be dual mode and may beconfigured to operate both on the cellular network 402 and on the WLAN404. The mobile devices 100A, 100B, 100C are typically configured toutilize SIP. Preferably, the mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C SIP stackwill be configured to communicate over both UDP and GME transportsimultaneously.

To support multiple SIP applications on a mobile device 100A, 100B,100C, a SIP UA API (SIP User Agent Application Programming Interface) ispreferably introduced. This API abstracts the applications from the SIPimplementation, thus removing the need for the application programmer toknow about the details of the protocol.

The SIP UA API will provide methods to construct, control and deletedialogs, a dialog being a single session between the device and someendpoint. For example, in a VoIP call a dialog is a call leg between thedevice and the PBX. A dialog may have none, one or multiple mediastreams associated. For example, a video/audio call will have twobidirectional media streams.

In addition the SIP UA API will provide means to register, reregisterand deregister SIP applications from the associated registrar server.This will be implemented in such a way to abstract the details of theregistration from the application, so the application is unable tomodify the registration parameters or the registrar information.

Finally the SIP UA API will provide a set of methods to allowapplications a way to subscribe for events from a remote server and tonotify a remote server of local application events.

The connectivity of certain embodiments of the mobile devices 100A,100B, 100C are also illustrated in FIG. 4. As can be seen, the WANmobile device 100A is connected through the relay 416 to the enterpriseexternal firewall 414 and on to the Mobile Enterprise Server (MES) 418.The WLAN mobile device 100C sends and receives data by connecting overthe Enterprise WLAN to the MES 418 bypassing the Relay 416. SIP-based IPTelephony is provided via a direct UDP connection to the SIP server andsimilarly RTP between the end points. The dual mode mobile device 100Bmay utilize connections available to the other types of mobile devices100A, 100C.

A Service Delivery Platform (SDP) 412 is located within the enterpriseLAN 410 behind the corporate firewall 414. A SIP-enabled mobile device100A, 100B, 100C communicates with the SDP 412 usually over the GMEconnection either through the Relay 416 or directly with the MobileEnterprise Server (MES) 418 if operating in serial bypass mode (e.g.WLAN Enterprise Data). On the other side of the firewall 414, the SDP412 communicates with existing enterprise servers.

The SDP 412 typically will be involved in the SIP message control flow.The media flow represented by the RTP session in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4, routes directly to the PBXs 418D, 418E from themobile device 100B, 100C.

The SDP 412 is designed to be a platform upon which any number ofapplications may be executed. The control towards the device 100A, 100B,100C will typically utilize a custom or enterprise-specific SIP (ESSIP),but the SDP 412 may utilize different protocols in communicating withother servers. This is illustrated in FIG. 4, where five exampleapplications on the SDP 412, namely Instant Messaging (IM) 430, Presence432, Conference 434, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) 436, and FixedMobile Convergence 438 use a variety of third-party protocols incommunication with the gateway and PBX servers 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D,418E providing the application functionality.

The MES 418 may comprise various software and/or hardware elements foradministering certain communication functionality of the mobile devices100A, 100B, 100C. For example, the MES 418 may comprise anadministration server 442, a mobile data server 444, a message server268 (discussed in greater detail, below), a database 419, a securitymodule 446 which may be configured to encrypt and decrypt data and/ormessages, an IM server 452 and a media server 454.

LAN 410 may comprise a number of network components connected to eachother by LAN connections. For instance, one or more users' desktopcomputers (not shown), each of which may comprise a cradle, may besituated on LAN 410. Cradles for mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C may becoupled to a desktop computer by a serial or a Universal Serial Bus(USB) connection, for example. Such cradles may facilitate the loadingof information (e.g. PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys tofacilitate secure communications between mobile device 100A, 100B, 100Cand LAN 410) from a desktop computer to mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C,and may be particularly useful for bulk information updates oftenperformed in initializing mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C for use. Theinformation downloaded to mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C may includecertificates used in the exchange of messages. It will be understood bypersons skilled in the art that user computers may also be connected toother peripheral devices not explicitly shown in FIG. 4.

Furthermore, only a subset of network components of LAN 410 are shown inFIG. 4 for ease of exposition, and it will be understood by personsskilled in the art that LAN 410 will comprise additional components notexplicitly shown in FIG. 4, for this example configuration. Moregenerally, LAN 410 may represent a smaller part of a larger network (notshown) of the organization, and may comprise different components and/orbe arranged in different topologies than that shown in the example ofFIG. 4.

In one example implementation, LAN 410 may comprise a wireless VPNrouter (not shown) to facilitate data exchange between the LAN 410 andmobile device 100B, 100C. A wireless VPN router may permit a VPNconnection to be established directly through a specific wirelessnetwork to mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C. With the implementation ofInternet Protocol (IP) Version 6 (IPV6) into IP-based wireless networks,enough IP addresses will be available to dedicate an IP address to everymobile device 100B, 100C, making it possible to push information to amobile device 100B, 100C at any time. An advantage of using a wirelessVPN router is that it could be an off-the-shelf VPN component, notrequiring a separate wireless gateway and separate wirelessinfrastructure to be used. A VPN connection might utilize TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP)/IP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/IP connectionto deliver the messages directly to mobile device 100A, 100B, 100C insuch implementation.

The communication system 400 shall preferably comprise the VoIPapplication 436 which is configured to utilize SIP to provide VoIPfunctionality. The SDP 412 is configured to route VoIP ESSIP requestsfrom the mobile device 100B, 100C to the VoIP application 436, therebyenabling IP calling from a mobile device 100B, 100C connected on theWLAN 404 to an existing SIP-enabled gateway or PBX server 418A, 418B,418C, 418D, 418E. For example, the VoIP functionality may include basiccalling features such as make and take a VoIP call, hold and resume,transfer (attended and semi-attended), ad-hoc conferencing, amongothers.

The VoIP telephony functionality in some embodiments may be limited tothose devices (such as, for example, devices 100B, 100C) that areconnected to the WLAN 404. The use of VPN may allow devices 100B, 100Cthat are outside the enterprise to access enterprise VoIP services in asecure fashion.

The inventors have recognized the non-uniform way each third-partymanufacturer's PBX (or other gateway server) 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D,418E uses SIP. Typically, each such gateway 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418Euses its own version of SIP call flow to establish, control and releasecalls. As a result, the SIP call flow between the endpoint (typically acommunication device, such as for example, mobile device 100A, 100B,100C) and the PBX (or gateway) 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418E needs to becustomized for that particular PBX (or gateway) 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D,418E.

The VoIP application 436 incorporates a customized Back-to-Back UserAgent (B2BUA) (not shown) in the Service Delivery Platform 412, therebypositioned between the mobile device 100B, 100C and the gateway 418A,418B, 418C, 418D, 418E. The B2BUA abstracts the details of the PBX callflows, registration, call control and configuration from the mobiledevice 100B, 100C. The B2BUA implements a defined set of ESSIP callflows to the mobile device 100B, 100C that can support the basic set oftelephony procedures. The B2BUA also satisfies the SIP call flows thatare specific to the gateway 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418E for the sameset of telephony procedures.

As each manufacturer's gateway server 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418Etypically requires a different set of call flows for the same feature,the B2BUA encapsulates the gateway 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418Especifics for the basic calling feature set into a PBX Abstraction Layer(PAL), each gateway 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418E having its own specificPAL.

In addition, if necessary the B2BUA can support other PBX-specificfeature extensions, which may be made available to communication devicescoupled to the network 410, such as the mobile devices 110B, 100C. Theseextensions are handled through a PBX Extension Layer (PEL) in the B2BUA,which, like the PAL, abstracts the complexities of each PBX 418A, 418B,418C, 418D, 418E for a given extension feature set. However, as theextension feature sets between different PBXs 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D,418E will not be the same, it may not be possible to develop a commonuser interface (UI). Accordingly, a plug-in application may bedownloaded to the communication devices coupled to the network 410, suchas the mobile devices 110B, 100C, to extend the UI and to provide thecommunication device with the necessary SIP Application information onhow to handle new features. This plug-in is the Menu and SignallingExtension Plug-in (MSP). As will be understood, the PAL, PEL and MSP areall part of the Extensible Signalling Framework (ESF).

With respect to the instant messaging services, the MES 418 may comprisean XMPP2SIMPLE (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol to SIPInstant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions) SIP application toenable integration of SIP with an IM session. For example, a voice callmay be established over VoIP or over a traditional circuit-switchedmedium directly from an IM session screen. The voice connection may berequested by either party in the IM session. As well as voice, theXMPP2SIMPLE application may also interface SIMPLE (SIP Instant Messagingand Presence Leveraging Extensions)-based IM systems to the IM internalarchitecture of the mobile devices 100A, 100B, 100C.

The MES 418 may use an XMPP (Extensible Messaging and PresenceProtocol)-based API (Application Programming Interface) over an IPe (IPendpoint) secured socket provided by the XMPP2SIMPLE Application torequest that SIP functions be accessed. This API may provide any useridentifications that are required and routing information to the VoIPgateway. The gateway might be the VoIP PBX 418D or it might be aVoIP-enabled server. The SDP 412 establishes a SIP session to the device100A, 100B, 100C and a second to the gateway (such as the PBX 418D). TheRTP media flow is routed directly to the VoIP gateway (such as the PBX418D).

Consider a situation in which an IM session is in process between afirst mobile device e.g. 100B, and a second mobile device 100C. Thesession may use the enterprise-specific IM protocol between the devices100B, 100C and an IM Proxy Server in the MES 418, and the third-party IMprotocol between the IM Proxy Server and the IM server (e.g. IM PBX418A).

At some point in time, either device 100B, 100C, may request that thesession be converted into a voice connection. The MES IM Server 452requests over the XMPP-based API that XMPP2SIMPLE set up a SIP basedcall. For each mobile device 100B, 100C, the XMPP2SIMPLE acts as aB2BUA, setting up one SIP session with the mobile device 100B, 100Cusing the ESSIP flows, and a second session with the IM Server 418Ausing the IM Server 418A specific SIP. These connections are thenmanipulated to connect the RTP media flow between the two mobile devices100B, 100C. Communication may also be established between mobile devices100A, 100B, 100C and other networked devices, such as, for example,computer 450 (which may be equipped to provide voice communication, forexample using VoIP) and electronic “whiteboard” 456 (via the Internet224), and telephones 18 (via the PSTN 222).

Alternatively, a call may be established over circuit-switched media.For example, an IM session running on a WAN mobile device 100A mayrequest the establishment of a voice connection. In this case the MES IMServer 452 could request directly to the Fixed Mobile PBX 418E for acircuit-switched call, or through the SDP 412 which would establish twocircuit-switched call legs, one to each party, via the PBX 418E.

The communication system 400 may also provide for certain applicationsto interact directly with other application services, e.g, applicationsthat provide media streaming capabilities such as e-learning orMP3/video playback, downloading and sharing. Consider a scenario inwhich an enterprise-wide announcement is to be made. Here theannouncement is stored in an MES service which proceeds to call out toall enterprise mobile devices 100A, 100B, 100C.

These services may require a multimedia session to be establishedbetween a server and the enabled ESSIP-enabled devices 100A, 100B, 100C.In addition there are a number of other servers such as LightweightDirectory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers, location servers, a databaseapplication, or an extensible markup language (XML) application. Theseapplication services provide back-end services such as directory,authentication, and billing services.

In this case the MES media application or server 454 might again beconfigured to use an API to set up the multimedia session or to obtaininformation from the SDP 412. The SDP 412 acts as a UAS, controlling thesession and setting the RTP or similar stream directly to the MES MediaServer 454. Once the multimedia streaming session has finished, the MESMedia Server 454 terminates the SIP session via an API call.

The communication system 400 may also be configured with a voicemobility module 460 (such as the Voice Mobility Management systemdistributed by Ascendent Systems) which may comprise software andhardware to offer voice mobility anchored at the network between WLAN404 and cellular 402 networks. The system 400 may offer enhancementssuch as single number in and out of the enterprise, conferencing, singlevoice mailbox, etc.

The voice mobility module 460 may use the SIP server through a CSTAinterface that allows first party call control. The interface betweenthe SDP 412 and the PBX 418D, 418E may be a SIP Trunk.

In this environment, the voice mobility module 460 controls the mediaflow passing over the RTP session.

The SDP 412 may interface to the MES 418 for signalling to the device100A, 100B, 100C and database support, and to the application serverssuch as the gateway or PBX servers 418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418E forapplication support. This section shall describe in more detail howthose interfaces are to be managed.

The SDP 412 may interface to the MES 418 through an ESSIP Connector, aservice that communicates directly with a Dispatcher. The ESSIPConnector terminates the GME protocol and is responsible for pushing theSIP signals to a SIP Server (not shown) over a TLS secured socket. Thisarrangement requires that a new content type be created for SIP, andallows a new ESSIP service book to be pushed to a mobile device 100A,100B, 100C.

On the other side of the SIP/TLS session, the SDP 412 may also comprisea Unified Communications (UC) Server (not shown). The UC Server executesthe SIP applications and communicates to the gateway and PBX servers418A, 418B, 418C, 418D, 418E, MES IM Server 452, IM server 418A, andvoice mobility module 460, etc.

Any number of ESSIP Connectors may support access to a single UC Server,the exact number being limited by the configuration of the componentsover hardware platforms. All configurations using a single UC Servermust be connected to the same mobile device database domain.

Both the ESSIP Connector and the UC Server may read data forconfiguration from the database 419 via an SDP MES Management Serverusing a web services interface. This component also offers the SDPadministration UI.

The UC Server stores information on the MES database 419, which is usedat reset to configure the UC Services and users. The following items maybe included in the basic server configuration: SIP Realm; SIP DomainName; SIP Server Address; SIP Server Port; SIP Server Transport; ProxyServer Address; Proxy Server Port; and Proxy Server Transport.

The following items may also be included as part of the database 419 peruser: SIP User Display Name; SIP User ID; SIP User Password; SIP Realm;SIP Registration Timeout; SIP Local Port; SIP RTP Media Port; SIP DomainName; SIP Server Type; SIP Server Address; SIP Server Port; SIP ServerTransport; Emergency Number; SIP Secondary Server Type; SIP SecondaryServer Address; SIP Secondary Server Port; and SIP Secondary ServerTransport.

The UC Server may also require notification from the database 419 whenan administrator adds a user into the system 400 so that it can updatethe internal table without scanning the whole database 419.

The SDP Management Server (SDP MS) (not shown) may abstract the MESdatabase 419 from the SDP 412 components and provides a user interfacefor administration purposes. The ESSIP Connector and the UC Server willboth obtain configuration through the SDP BMS. As the users of UCServices will also be the general MES users, then those configurationitems that are specific to each user will require additions to existinguser records.

The communications network 400 is preferably also provided with aconference call controller 440 module configured to facilitate andcontrol conference calls between two or more parties. As will bediscussed in greater detail, below, the conference call controller 440may comprise an application or other programming and is configured tocoordinate the conference call functionality and to facilitate theexchange of voice and other media between conference call participants.The conference call controller 440 may comprise conference application440 a and conference services modules 440 b and may reside in orotherwise form part of the SDP 412.

Messages intended for a user of mobile device 100 are initially receivedby a message server 268 of LAN 410, which may form part of the MES 418.Such messages may originate from any of a number of sources. Forinstance, a message may have been sent by a sender from a computer 450within LAN 410, from a different mobile device (not shown) connected towireless network 200 (or 404) or to a different wireless network, orfrom a different computing device (such as computer 450) or other devicecapable of sending messages, via the shared network infrastructure 224,and possibly through an application service provider (ASP) or Internetservice provider (ISP), for example.

Message server 268 typically acts as the primary interface for theexchange of messages, particularly e-mail messages, within theorganization and over the shared network infrastructure 224. Each userin the organization that has been set up to send and receive messages istypically associated with a user account managed by message server 268.One example of a message server 268 is a Microsoft Exchange™ Server. Insome implementations, LAN 410 may comprise multiple message servers 268.Message server 268 may also be adapted to provide additional functionsbeyond message management, including the management of data associatedwith calendars and task lists, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart illustrating steps in a method offacilitating a conference call between a plurality of communicationdevices in accordance with at least one embodiment is shown generally as500. Additional details of some of the features described below inrespect of the method 500 may be described elsewhere in the presentspecification. Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 6A and 6B, illustratedtherein are schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary aspects of aconference call, shown generally as 600, implemented in accordance withthe present disclosure.

In one embodiment, at least some of the steps of the method areperformed by a conference call application that executes and resides onthe mobile device 100 or the conference call controller 440 (FIG. 4), ora combination of both. In variant embodiments, the conference callapplication need not be a stand-alone application, and the functionalityof the application may be implemented in one or more applicationsexecuting and residing on the controller or other computing device.

Method 500 commences at Block 510 in which a first primary communicationdevice 610 has been provided. For example, mobile communication device100B may be selected for use as a first primary communication device 610in a conference call as contemplated herein. Similarly, a second primarycommunication device 612, for example mobile communication device 100C,may be provided (Block 512). The conference call controller 440, mayalso be provided (Block 514).

The conference call session may then be initiated, typically utilizingboth SIP and RTP protocols, as discussed above (Block 516). A firstcontrol session (as indicated by line 614 in FIG. 6A) may be establishedbetween the conference call controller 440 and the first primarycommunication device 610 (Block 517). Such control session 614 may be inthe form of a data signal in which conference parameter data relating tothe conference call to be established, may be exchanged between thecontroller 440 and the first primary communication device 610. Forexample, the conference parameter data may include the time of theconference call, and the invited parties and their corresponding contact“numbers” or communication device identifiers. Information correspondingto the conference parameter data may be displayed on the display of thecommunication device 610 or otherwise communicated to the user of thedevice 610 (e.g. via the speaker 118). As will be understood, preferablythe control session 614 will be established in such a way as to securelyidentify the first primary communication device 610 to the controller440. For example, the controller 440 may obtain identification data fromor otherwise utilize SIM 126 to authenticate (or partially authenticate)the device 610. In some instances, an identification code such as anaccess code or password may be requested by and/or required to bereceived by the controller 440 in order for the conference call user tobe fully authenticated and permitted to participate on the call.

In some embodiments, the extent of maintaining authentication within asession is based on certain predetermined conditions, such asmaintaining authentication of a control session for a predeterminedamount of time (e.g., using a timer). After such time or after a timerexpires, the control session 614 with the communication device 610becomes de-authenticated and would once again need to be authenticated(i.e., re-authenticated). In another example, the authentication of thecontrol session 614 may terminate before session expiry based onmoderator control (either manually or automatically). This may requireon-the-fly authentication of the first primary communication device 610should the control session 614 be de-authenticated for whatever reason.

In yet further embodiments, authentication may be required for each orevery command sent from the communication device 610 over the controlsession 614.

In some instances, the control session 614 may be initiated by thecommunication device 610, in order for the user of the communicationdevice 610 to set up and commence a conference call. Alternatively, ifthe parameters of the conference call have been previously determined,the controller 440 may communicate with the communication device 610 toestablish the control session 614 and take the other steps necessary toinitiate the conference call in accordance with the previouslydetermined conference call parameters, as discussed below.

A media session (as represented by line 616 in FIG. 6A) between thefirst and second primary communication devices 610, 612 via theconference call controller 440 may then be established (Block 518). Aswill be understood, the terms “via” or “between” in reference tosessions with “the conference call controller 440” are intended to referbroadly to situations in which the session or signal is operativelycoupled to the controller 440, but also is intended to refer tosituations in which the session is established by, but may not maintaina continuous connection to, the controller 440. In some embodiments, thecontroller 440 may be programmed or otherwise configured to initiate afirst communication leg to the first primary communication device 610,such as by placing a telephone call to the first primary communicationdevice 610 and to initiate a second communication leg to the secondprimary communication device 612, such as by placing a telephone call tothe second primary communication device 612. The controller 440 may beconfigured to utilize the mobile devices' assigned MSISDN (MobileStation Integrated Services Digital Network) number or assigned PINnumber to initiate the communication legs. The two communication legsmay then be linked by the controller 440.

While such media session 616 may comprise a standard voice stream as maybe established for typical voice telephony or other communications, aswill be understood, the media session 616 may comprise other types ofmedia data signals (for example, for multimedia presentations, orvideophone applications). In some embodiments, preferably the mediasession 616 is encrypted using suitable encryption methods.

In some embodiments, a second control session (as indicated by line 618in FIG. 6A) may also be established between the conference callcontroller 440 and the second primary communication device 612 (Block520). Such control session 618 may be in the form of a data signal inwhich conference parameter data relating to the conference call, may beexchanged between the controller 440 and the second primarycommunication device 612. Such control session 618 may also beestablished prior to the establishing of the media session 616 in Block518.

In embodiments in which multiple control sessions e.g. 614, 618 areestablished between multiple communication devices 610, 612, one controlsession (e.g. second control session 618) may be designated as themoderator session 615. Typically, the intended moderator's identity willbe one of the parameters of the conference call data, and may by defaultbe assigned to a communication device 600, 610 initiating the conferencecall (if appropriate). The communication device 610 having the moderatorcontrol session 615 may be provided with top level control over theconference call and amending its parameters, including for example,adding or removing parties as necessary or amending privilege levels, oreven assigning or delegating the moderator privileges. So for example,if the communication device 610 having the moderator control session 615assigns the moderator privileges to communication device 612, thecontrol session 615 may shift to the second control session 618, therebyproviding the user of the second primary communication device 612 withthe moderator privileges to control the conference call.

Once the media session 616 has been established, users of the first andsecond primary communication devices 610, 612, may communicate with eachother.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, consider a situation in which the firstprimary communication device 610 is being charged long distance cellularfees (which can be quite expensive). A first alternate communicationdevice 620 may be selected or otherwise provided (Block 521). The usermay decide to initiate a call transfer request (Block 522). An optionsmenu may be provided on the display 110 of the communication device 610(described in detail below with respect to FIGS. 7A and 7B). Suchoptions menu will preferably be provided with the option for the user toinitiate a transfer, allowing the user to input or otherwise designatethe proposed transferee communication device (such as the firstalternate communication device 620 illustrated in FIG. 6B). Thetransferee identification may comprise an MSISDN number, a mobile deviceunique personal identification number, a PBX number, or a PBXextension/access number. Such data identifying the transfereecommunication device is communicated to the controller 440 together withthe transfer request, via the control session 614. In some otherembodiments, a default or predetermined device may be pre-designated asthe first alternate communication device 620.

The transfer request may then be authenticated or evaluated (Block 524).For example, if the user of the communication device 610 hassufficiently high privilege levels, the controller 440 might beprogrammed or otherwise configured to permit and then initiate thetransfer (Block 526). Alternatively, the request may be routed by thecontroller 440 to the moderator's communication device 612 via themoderator's control session 615 and displayed on the device 612 display110. The moderator may then grant or deny such transfer permission byinputting data (in some embodiments through the selection of menuoptions, not shown) which is received by the controller via the controlsession 615, 618.

In some example embodiments, Block 524 includes the communication device610 determining whether the control session 614 is still authenticated,and if not performing additional authentication of the media session616.

If the transfer request is approved or granted, the controller 440 maythen be configured to extend the media session 616 to the firstalternate communication device 620 (Block 530). In some embodiments, thecontroller 440 may be programmed or otherwise configured to initiate acommunication leg to the first alternate communication device 620, suchas by placing a telephone call to the first alternate communicationdevice 620. Upon extending the media session 616 to the first alternatecommunication device 620, the media session 616 to the first primarycommunication device 610 may be terminated (Block 532).

The first control session 614 will preferably be maintained between thefirst primary communication device 610 and the controller 440,subsequent to the extension of the media session 616 in Block 530 andthe termination of the media session 616 to the first primarycommunication device 610 in Block 532 (Block 534). An advantage ofmaintaining the first control session 614, is that a measure of securityis maintained despite the extension of the conference call to the firstalternate communication device 620 (which may not be secure), as thefirst control session 614 (via the first primary communication device610) authenticates the user of both devices 610, 620. For example, thefirst control session 614 could act as a ‘heartbeat’ to continuouslyexchange and authenticate a dynamic key or certificate between thecontroller 440 and the first primary communication device 610 in orderto authenticate the user who is now presumably speaking on the firstalternate communication device 620.

As will be understood, if the first primary communication device 610 andthe first alternate communication device 620 are each an embodiment of amobile device 100, then the enterprise-specific transfer protocols forthe LAN 410 may be used in transferring the media session 616 from thefirst primary communication device 610 to the first alternatecommunication device 620. Alternatively, if the alternate communicationdevice 620 is a PBX type of communication device, then appropriate PBXprotocols, such as H.323 transfer protocols, may be used to transfer themedia session 616.

As will be understood, while two primary communication devices 610, 612were illustrated and described as participating in the conference call,additional communication devices may participate in the conference call.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7A, which shows a user interface 750 whichmay be used as a user input for providing conference call controlfunctions, shown as displayed on a display 110 of one of the mobiledevices 100 (e.g., the first primary communication device 610). In theembodiment shown, the user interface 750 is for example implemented by aconference call application resident on the mobile device 100 forspecifically communicating with the conference call controller 440. Insome embodiments, some or all of the functionality or user-initiatedcommands are provided by the conference call controller 440.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the user interface 750 includes a title bar 752, astatus icon 754, an options menu 758, and participant icons 760(partially shown) which represent the status of each participant in theconference call. An indicator such as a cursor 762 is also shown forindicating which item(s) on the user interface 750 are to be selected. Achat or instant message window 756 is also shown which displays amessage history of the participants in the present conference call. Thestatus icon 754 displays the present status of the conference call, forexample “CC Active” (i.e., conference call active) as shown.

The options menu 758 includes a number of conference call controlfunctions or commands to be sent to the conference call controller 440in accordance with some example embodiments. As shown, the options menu758 includes user-selectable options for Help 764, View Conference Call(CC) History 766, Hang Up 768, Mute 770, and Transfer 772. Otherconference call options (not shown) would be understood by those skilledin the art. Some or all of the options may be displayed on the optionsmenu 758 depending on the particular application or current state of thescheduled conference call.

The functionality of Help 764, View CC History 766, Hang Up 768, andMute 770 would be understood in the art and are not described in detailherein. If the Transfer 772 option is selected, at least some of theBlocks of the method 500 are implemented by the mobile device 100 and/orthe conference call controller 440. In some embodiments, once theTransfer 772 option is selected, it is determined whether the controlsession 614 is still authenticated or requires re-authentication. Thisdetermining of authentication may be performed by either the mobiledevice 100, the conference call controller 440 (or both) in a mannerdescribed in detail above with respect to FIG. 6A.

In some embodiments, referring now to FIG. 7B, the user interface 750 asa consequence of the Transfer 772 option being selected displays atransfer request sub-window 774 which acts as an authenticationinterface. The transfer request sub-window 774 includes a user inputfield for inputting of the transferee identification, in this examplethe terminating MSISDN use input field 780, as shown. Should it bedetermined that the control session 614 requires authentication orre-authentication, the transfer request sub-window 774 may also includea password user input field 782 for inputting a password forauthentication of the transfer request. The transfer request sub-window774 also displays in read only mode, the Originating MSISDN and theCC-PBX-Controller, as shown.

The terminating MSISDN user input field 780 and the password user inputfield 782 may have default or predetermined information already loaded,wherein the user may edit such information should different user inputsbe desired. If authentication is not required, the transfer requestsub-window 744 may not include the password user input field 782, andthe mobile device 100 continues to send the transfer request to theconference call controller 440 assuming a terminating MSISDN has beenprovided.

When the user input fields are satisfactory the “OK” icon 784 isselected, which sends the transfer request over the control session 614.If the transfer request is not authenticated, a request forauthentication is sent (including the password information). Theauthenticated transfer request can now be initiated as per Block 526(FIG. 5).

Referring still to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the selection of various options isnot limited to being implemented by a specific application resident onthe mobile device 100. In other example embodiments, the specifichosting control options and corresponding options of the options menu758 may be communicated in real-time by communication of data messages(e.g., SIP messages) from the conference call controller 440.

In some example embodiments, rather than a user interface being used,the mobile device 100 is configured to automatically performauthentication when it is determined that the session isde-authenticated. This may for example be performed by automaticallyre-sending a stored password or encryption key, renegotiating orregenerating another shared key, etc.

As will also be understood, while the communication system andembodiments described herein have been illustrated as utilizing SIP, itshould be understood that other protocols (including those which may bedeveloped in the future) may be utilized for establishing andcontrolling sessions as contemplated herein.

The steps of the methods of facilitating a conference call in accordancewith any of the embodiments described herein may be provided asexecutable software instructions stored on computer-readable media,which may include transmission-type media.

In an example embodiment, there is provided a method of facilitatingtransferring of conference call sessions from a primary communicationdevice, wherein a conference call controller is configured to establisha conference call session with the primary communication device andother communication devices. The method includes displaying a userinterface on the primary communication device, the user interfaceincluding a transfer option, receiving a command selecting the transferoption, sending a transfer request from the primary communication deviceto the conference call controller to link an alternate communicationdevice within the conference call session, and determining whether thetransfer request requires authentication, and if so displaying on theuser interface an authentication interface for authentication of thetransfer request.

In another example embodiment, there is provided a communication device,comprising: a communication subsystem for communicating with aconference call controller, wherein the conference call controller isconfigured to establish a conference call session with the communicationdevice and other communication devices; and a display for displaying auser interface on the communication device, the user interface includinga transfer option. The communication device is configured for: receivinga command selecting the transfer option, sending a transfer request fromthe communication device to the conference call controller to link analternate communication device within the conference call session, anddetermining whether the transfer request requires authentication, and ifso displaying on the user interface an authentication interface forauthentication of the transfer request.

In yet another example embodiment, there is provided a system forfacilitating transferring of conference call sessions between aplurality of communication devices, the system comprising a conferencecall controller configured for: establishing a control session with afirst primary communication device, the control session capable of beingauthenticated and not authenticated, establishing a first media sessionwith the first primary communication device, establishing a second mediasession with a second primary communication device, and linking thefirst media session and the second media session in a conference callsession, receiving a transfer request from the first primarycommunication device via the control session, determining whether thetransfer request requires authentication, and if so performingauthentication of the transfer request, and establishing, based on theauthenticated transfer request, an alternate media session between analternate communication device and the conference call controller andlinking the alternate media session within the conference call session.

The present disclosure has been described with regard to a number ofexample embodiments. However, it will be understood by persons skilledin the art that other variants and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of facilitating transferring ofconference call sessions from a primary communication device, wherein aconference call controller is configured to establish a conference callsession with the primary communication device and other communicationdevices, comprising: establishing a control session and a media sessionbetween the primary communication device and the conference callcontroller, wherein the control session is maintained after theestablishment of the media session; displaying a user interface on theprimary communication device, the user interface including a transferoption to link an alternate communication device within the conferencecall session; receiving a command selecting the transfer option; sendinga transfer request from the primary communication device to theconference call controller to link the alternate communication devicewithin the conference call session; and determining whether the transferrequest requires authentication, and in response to determining whetherthe transfer request requires authentication, displaying on the userinterface an authentication interface for authentication of the transferrequest.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:terminating the media session between the primary communication deviceand the conference call controller; and maintaining the control sessionbetween the primary communication device and the conference callcontroller subsequent to terminating the media session.
 3. The method asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising determining whether the transferrequest is authenticated.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising sending a request for authentication from the primarycommunication device to the conference call controller; and receiving aconfirmation of authentication from the conference call controller. 5.The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sending of the requestfor authentication comprises requesting a transfer from the primarycommunication device to the alternate communication device via theconference call controller and receiving a confirmation ofauthentication from the alternate communication device via theconference call controller.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid displaying of the authentication interface is displayed during theconference call session.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising: determining whether a predetermined authentication timeperiod has elapsed, and in response to determining whether apredetermined authentication time period has elapsed, determining thatauthentication between the primary communication device and theconference call controller is required.
 8. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said sending comprises Session Initiation Protocol(SIP)-based commands.
 9. A communication device, comprising: acommunication subsystem for communicating with a conference callcontroller, wherein the conference call controller is configured toestablish a conference call session with the communication device andother communication devices including establishing a control session anda media session between the communication device and the conference callcontroller, wherein the control session is maintained after theestablishment of the media session; a display for displaying a userinterface on the communication device, the user interface including atransfer option; wherein the communication device is configured for:receiving a command selecting the transfer option to link an alternatecommunication device within the conference call session; sending atransfer request from the communication device to the conference callcontroller to link the alternate communication device within theconference call session; and determining whether the transfer requestrequires authentication, and in response to determining whether thetransfer request requires authentication, displaying on the userinterface an authentication interface for authentication of the transferrequest.
 10. The communication device as claimed in claim 9, wherein thecommunication device is further configured for: terminating the mediasession between the communication device and the conference callcontroller; and maintaining the control session between thecommunication device and the conference call controller subsequent toterminating the media session.
 11. The communication device as claimedin claim 9, wherein the communication device is further configured fordetermining whether the transfer request is authenticated.
 12. Thecommunication device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communicationdevice is further configured for sending a request for authenticationfrom the communication device to the conference call controller; andreceiving a confirmation of authentication from the conference callcontroller.
 13. The communication device as claimed in claim 12, whereinsaid sending of the request for authentication comprises requesting atransfer to the alternate communication device via the conference callcontroller and receiving a confirmation of authentication from thealternate communication device via the conference call controller. 14.The communication device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said displayingof the authentication interface is displayed during the conference callsession.
 15. The communication device as claimed in claim 9, wherein thecommunication device is further configured for: determining whether apredetermined authentication time period has elapsed, and if sodetermining that authentication between the communication device and theconference call controller is required.
 16. The communication device asclaimed in claim 9, wherein said sending comprises Session InitiationProtocol (SIP)-based commands.
 17. A system for facilitatingtransferring of conference call sessions between a plurality ofcommunication devices, the system comprising: a conference callcontroller configured for: establishing a control session and a firstmedia session with a first primary communication device, the controlsession capable of being authenticated and not authenticated, whereinthe control session is maintained after the establishment of the firstmedia session; establishing a second media session with a second primarycommunication device, and linking the first media session and the secondmedia session in a conference call session; receiving a transfer requestfrom the first primary communication device via the control session;determining whether the transfer request requires authentication, and inresponse to determining whether the transfer request requiresauthentication, performing authentication of the transfer request, and;establishing, based on the authenticated transfer request, an alternatemedia session between an alternate communication device and theconference call controller and linking the alternate media sessionwithin the conference call session.
 18. The system as claimed in claim17, wherein the conference call controller is further configured for:determining whether a predetermined authentication time period haselapsed, and in response to determining whether a predeterminedauthentication time period has elapsed, de-authenticating said controlsession with the first primary communication device.